Method and system for manipulation of scheduling information in a distributed virtual enterprise

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product for processing e-commerce information are presented. A business entity may transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace. The business entity retrieves dependency information about a commercial transaction from an e-commerce agreement. The business entity incorporates the dependency information, e.g., dates, costs, deliveries, etc., as dependency relationships within a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the first business entity. User input is received for manipulating a scheduling dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the scheduling dependency relationship.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for processing e-commerce information for a business entity, the method comprising: 
 retrieving a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the project model comprises dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the project model with respect to specific parameters; and    receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the scheduling dependency relationship.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and  
 receiving user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the user input into the project model for modifications to the scheduling dependency relationship.  
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and  
 modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the scheduling dependency relationship was previously derived.  
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further comprising: 
 automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.  
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the business entity and the trading partner transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace.  
     
     
         6 . An apparatus for processing e-commerce information for a business entity, the apparatus comprising: 
 means for retrieving a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the project model comprises dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the project model with respect to specific parameters; and    means for receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the scheduling dependency relationship.    
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  further comprising: 
 means for receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and  
 means for receiving user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the user input into the project model for modifications to the scheduling dependency relationship.  
 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6  further comprising: 
 means for receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and  
 means for modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the scheduling dependency relationship was previously derived.  
 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  further comprising: 
 means for automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.  
 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the business entity and the trading partner transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace.  
     
     
         11 . A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for processing e-commerce information for a business entity, the computer program product comprising: 
 instructions for retrieving a project model that represents a project for a product or service for sale by the business entity, wherein the project model comprises dependency relationships derived from e-commerce agreements such that the dependency relationships constrain modifications of the project model with respect to specific parameters; and    instructions for receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship within the project model while constraining the user input to ensure that another type of dependency relationship is not incompatible with modifications to the scheduling dependency relationship.    
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 instructions for receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and  
 instructions for receiving user input to change another type of dependency relationship in order to incorporate the user input into the project model for modifications to the scheduling dependency relationship.  
 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 instructions for receiving user input to manipulate a scheduling dependency relationship, wherein the user input is determined to be incompatible with another type of dependency relationship; and  
 instructions for modifying a first e-commerce agreement to change dependency information within the first e-commerce agreement from which the scheduling dependency relationship was previously derived.  
 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 13  further comprising: 
 instructions for automatically generating a second e-commerce agreement for a trading partner of the business entity in order to seek the modification to the first e-commerce agreement.  
 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 14  wherein the business entity and the trading partner transfer e-commerce agreements through an electronic marketplace.